Hurricanes At Landfall (1996-Present)

Although much is known about the life cycles of tropical systems as well as much of the damage they are capable of producing, some phenomena still remain unexplained. Of these, the mechanisms and processes behind hurricane intensification and maximum wind- and storm surge-related damage occurring within the eyewall of the storm at the time of landfall are some of the most pressing. The Hurricanes at Landfall project, which began in 1996 as hurricane Fran came ashore, seeks to utilize the DOWs, mesonets and PODs to obtain upper-, middle- and near-ground kinematic and thermodynamic observations to provide greater insight as to the "inner workings" of these powerful storms. These efforts have also permitted the observation of intense small- (sub-kilometer-) scale boundary layer rolls, or embedded regions of higher winds thought to account for the majority of the damage observed.

For more information about general deployment techniques/methodology for several hurricanes intercepted by CSWR, as well as motivation for studying these storms directly as opposed to remotely, click here.